Back in the ‘Ham, all of our kids played soccer, and Ben coached Norah’s team. He also played in an “Over The Hill” league. We hoped to find teams in San Miguel, at least for the girls – Adlani wants to take a break, but it was difficult to get any information online. That has been typical here…so much information is only available by word-of-mouth, and you have to find the people “in the know.”
We heard from Katie O’Grady of Los O’Gradys in Mexico that her daughter played on a team at Unidad Deportiva, and our other new friends (the ones we met at Geek & Coffee) told us that most of the classes there are FREE. It’s outside of town so it will likely involve a taxi or bus ride each time we go, but we can combine it with a trip to the big supermarket nearby if we need anything.
We visited la Deportiva with Los O’Gradys and another family that just arrived in SMA, and Katie (a former Spanish teacher) helped me get some information about a team for Norah. Aliya decided she’d rather take boxing classes, and Adlani may do that as well. All of the current classes were posted outside the office, and you can jump in any time – there doesn’t seem to be a start or end to the season, although new classes will be posted in October.
Soccer for girls was posted as Monday-Wednesday-Friday from 4-7, so we went on Friday to check it out. Aliya and I basically told the coach Norah’s name, that it was her first time there, and gave her a push. She was a little shy for the first few minutes but the girls were nice and the drills and practice-games seemed familiar so she really enjoyed it. The group at practice was divided into smaller girls and bigger girls, and it turned out that the younger kids (7ish to 12ish) practice from 4-5:30, and the older girls (13ish-17ish) practice from 5:30-7. All of the times are “ish” too…someone told me yesterday that “time is not worth as much in Mexico”…I’ve never thought of it that way but it explains why nothing here seems to happen at the time it’s scheduled.
While Norah practiced, Aliya, Adlani, and I checked out the facility. It’s REALLY nice, and it’s true – most classes are free or have a very minimal cost. Aliya needs a card to take the boxing class, but it is 40 pesos ($2.36) for the year. I’m not sure why she needs a card and Norah doesn’t, but I am just going with the flow – I’ve realized that I don’t actually need to know the answer to every single question. I’m trying to model that behavior for Norah because she makes me insane wanting to know every detail of what’s going to happen waaaaaaaay before it happens. The other day she asked how she will know which 5th-grade teacher she has and which classroom to go to. She hasn’t even started 4th grade yet! Anyway…I still don’t know the situation with games or uniforms for her team, but I’m sure we’ll find out when the time comes.
Here are some photos of la Deportiva…
Norah’s practice:
There are multiple turf fields plus the grass fields:
Basketball Courts:
Covered court for basketball or soccer:
Tennis Courts (I think there are 5 or 6 + a volleyball court):
Very exciting for Aliya…they are putting the finishing touches on a new track!
Cool weight machines where you are lifting/pushing/pulling your own body weight:
Bench Press (sibling spotters seem like a bad idea):
And a playground that has the same equipment that I spent my childhood on (and survived just fine):
They even have Zumba (with an added level of difficulty if you grapevine across the decorative corner medallions)!
We’re psyched to have found this facility and so many options for activities!